CONS Synonyms: 217 Similar and Opposite Words

cons 1 of 4

noun (1)

Definition of cons next

plural of con

as in prisoners

a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence a program to help ex-cons find employment

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cons

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of con

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car

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cons

3 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of con

as in studies

to commit to memory usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in reviews

to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition) seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

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cons

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of con

as in hustles

to rob by the use of trickery or threats a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

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as in tricks

to cause to believe what is untrue tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cons

Noun

The tenets of Brind’Amour’s system — the pros and the cons, real and perceived — have been picked apart, reassembled and picked apart again for the better part of a decade. —

Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 May 2026 All the mod-cons of the highest end hotels are here, while the bed has a comfort level that is usually reserved only for your own one at home. —

Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 27 May 2026 What are the cons of investing in gold? —

Liz Knueven, CNBC, 27 May 2026 There are pros, well, maybe, a pro, to a 24-team field, and many, many cons. —

Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026 But these changes are being rolled out with little debate as to the pros and cons. —

Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026 Other castaways struggled with how to present themselves on screen while playing this game of cons and elimination. —

Shaan Merchant, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026 Each mortgage type comes has its pros, cons and ideal buyer. —

Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026 Some voters' concerns were inflation, gas prices, and the pros and cons of the war in Iran. —

Joe Holden, CBS News, 19 May 2026

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish. —

Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cons

Noun

According to media reports, after the fall of Assad large numbers of ISIS prisoners in Syria were relocated to stand trial in Iraq, while some of the organization’s foreign detainees were back to their countries of origin.

— Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026
None of them has the authority under current law to pursue an investigation; that resource is limited to prisoners or legislators.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 26 May 2026